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Chapter 17 Mutual Funds and Hedge Funds

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Chapter 17
1. Why are mutual funds popular with individual investors?
Able to enjoy economies of scale by incurring lower transaction costs and commissions. Provide opportunities for small investors to invest in a liquid and diversified portfolio of financial securities.

2. What is the purpose of index funds? How does this differ from other equity mutual funds? Why are index funds growing in popularity? Index funds are funds in which managers buy securities in proportions similar to those included in a specified major index. Index funds involve little research or management, which results in lower management fees and higher returns than actively managed funds. Actively managed funds turn over their holdings rapidly.

3. How …show more content…

Insider Trading and Sec Fraud Enforcement Act of 1988- required mutual funds to develop mechanisms and procedures to avoid insider trading abuses. Market Reform Act of 1990- allows the SEC to introduce circuit breakers to halt trading on exchanges and restrict program trading when it is deemed necessary. National Sec Market Improvement Act 1996- exempts mutual fund companies from oversight by state securities regulators.

8. In what ways are hedge funds different from mutual funds?
Are not subject to heavy regulation that apply to mutual funds. Do not have to disclose their activities to third parties. Because of less regulation, they use aggressive strategies that are unavailable to mutual funds. Actual data cannot be individually tracked. Self-reported. Take positions speculating that some prices will rise faster than others. Do not have to register with SEC. They avoid regulation by limiting the number of investors to less than 100 and by requiring investors to be accredited.

9. What are the primary differences between index funds and ETFs? What are two examples of ETFs?
ETFs are traded on a stock exchange at prices that are determined by the market.Etfs can be traded during the day, they can be purchased on margin and sold short by an investor. ETF investors can defer capital gains as long as they

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